Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Time to make the jump from Microsoft XP to Linux?

If you're running Microsoft XP on your personal computer (PC), after
April 8, 2014 you are apparently on your own. Actually you and 1/3 of
all the PC owners in the world still running XP are on your own. So you
have a lot of company. See Infographic.

It
is reasonable to speculate that soon after support is withdrawn, many
new hacker attacks and distribution of malware will start to occur. It
appears that any XP machine connected to the internet or other source of
infection may not only be a danger to itself but to the other machines
connected to the same local network.

Removal of Microsoft XP from
your older model PC is becoming essential for many. If you're wondering
what to do, you can purchase and install a more up-to-date version of
Microsoft, buy a new PC – or this may finally be the time to go ahead
and switch to Linux.If you agree that its finally time to make
the jump to Linux on your PC, you're going to need some help. I know I
do. So a quick search on the Internet for instructions on how to get
started and go about doing surfaced the following guidance from various
sources:

Total newbie...how can I change windows XP to Linux - An
interesting thread on LinuxForums.org on switching from Windows XP to
Linux. The discussion starts as follows – "Hi! I am so newbie I don't
even know where to begin. One thing I know is that I want to get rid of
Windows XP on my PC and run Linux instead."Converting a Windows XP Laptop to Ubuntu - Linux? - Yahoo Answers - Jun
11, 2013 - I have an old Win XP laptop. I want to install Ubuntu Linux
on it. ... If you already have an Ubuntu install disk then follow from
instruction 8. You will ...How do I install a Linux os on a dell with a corrupted XP ... - An
interesting discussion thread on Linux.com with lots of straight
forward, helpful advice. For example – "No need to do anything special
to remove Windows, just allow the Linux installer to wipe out any
existing partitions and reformat the drive. Just about any distro will
provide this option, just pay attention to the questions in the
installer about partitioning - it will be pretty obvious."The Perfect Desktop - Linux Mint 15 (Olivia) | HowtoForge - This
tutorial shows how you can set up a Linux Mint 15 (Olivia) desktop that
is a full-fledged replacement for a Windows desktop, i.e. that has all
the software that people need to do the things they do on their Windows
desktops. All software comes free of charge.Installing Ubuntu 12.04 LTS - A free tutorial on Softpedia that will teach users how to install the Ubuntu 12.04 LTS operating system.Uninstall Win XP and install Ubuntu (latest version) - This
discussion thread on the C/NET Linux Forum also provides some useful
suggestions and tips on uninstalling Windows XP and installing Ubuntu
Linux.Germans Give Out Linux to Windows XP Die-Hards - Tom's Guide - Windows
XP's time is running out, but the city government of Munich, Germany,
knows one way to mitigate the dying system's security risk: Switch the
entire city over to the Ubuntu Linux operating system…

For
churches and church members who don't have the resources to go out and
buy new computers or software licenses, or just don't want to litter
the landscape with old machines, making the jump to Linux and use of
other free and open source software may be a good thing to do.

Let
other readers know what you chose to do
with your PC running XP. Did you make the jump to Linux? If so, do you
have any helpful observations or advice to pass on?